Long Form

In 1992

This country figured out how to stop teen substance abuse, so why has no...

Find out which nordic nation radically cut teenage smoking, drinking and drug use and how they did it.

Out of ‘T’ and out of hope – SA’s trans men face year 2...

A stockout of the version of testosterone (made by Pfizer) used by state facilities and nonprofits is entering its second year. It’s left transgender men in South Africa, who use the hormone as part of gender-affirming treatment, with few options. Find out what lengths they’re forced to go to get the medicine.
Postpartum psychosis

My descent into postpartum psychosis – and how I got out

A new mother recounts how psychiatric care that nurtured her bond with her baby helped heal her mania.
Young girls like those at Indupa Primary School near Kajiado face female circumcision.

​Women of the Maasai fight back for their daughters

Girls as young as 10 feel the blade but an extraordinary group is fighting against female genital mutilation (FGM).
Being bilingual is better for your brain. Now

Speak more than one language? This is what it does to your brain.

Speaking more than one language could lead to better tests scores and even being a more empathetic person.
Tender delays have pushed a shortage of the popular birth control shot Nur-Isterate into its second year.

This popular birth control shot is out of stock for the second year running....

Women who have been forced to go without their usual birth control shot are now facing the consequences of months-long shortages.

Up in smoke: The black tobacco farmers British American Tobacco left behind

Some small-scale black tobacco farmers in Limpopo feel that the tobacco industry supported them under the guise of an upliftment programme, but then used them to fight against illicit tobacco trade. By 2021, the financial support dried up.
Making waves: Women on Web offers an online portal that dispatches an abortion pill to people across the world.

‘I told them I had a miscarriage. But the nurses knew what had really...

Go inside the international network of women willing to break the law to give people access to termination of pregnancy services.

‘If men are these monsters’: Life in the fray of SA’s gender-based violence projects

South Africa is rushing to roll out its first national gender-based violence action plan. But as bureaucracy and the coronavirus pandemic stall progress, violence against women continues unabated. And the hot spots that will receive extra resources, it seems, have been wrongly identified.
From the inside: The risk of TB infection at Pollsmoor can be sharply reduced if aggravating factors such as overcrowding and poor ventilation are addressed.

Unlikely perk of prison life: Free, speedy TB treatment

South African jails are making notable strides in screening for, and curing, tuberculosis.

From stranded to solitude: How the short-lived relief of repatriation could be people’s tipping...

As South Africa enters level two of its national lockdown, international travel remains restricted. One of the few exceptions are repatriation flights, which require a mandatory quarantine period. But the toll of mounting stress and isolation may have long-term consequences on people’s mental health.
|

SA’s moonlight sonata: The illegal cash cow draining specialist care at state hospitals

Specialist doctors at many state facilities aren’t showing up to work despite earning millions of rands a year in taxpayer money. The consequences for patient health can be devastating but not everyone agrees on the solutions.
Charity Petelo has been looking after her son since his diagnoses with schizophrenia 14 years ago.

‘The people told me they are coming to take me away tonight’

Where traditional beliefs are more real than textbooks, treating mental illness is a balancing act for sangomas and medical doctors alike.
Refugees are at risk of developing mental disorders

‘The baby fell, but I just kept running’

Refugees can flee their countries, but they can't escape the trauma of war.
Gifted: Dembe Ndou keeps the pupils and teachers entertained with her beautiful voice and extraordinary skill on the keyboard.

Autism and its uncommon angels

Dembe Ndou learned to play piano in no time at all, but simply chatting is a complex challenge.
​Acid victim Hanifa Nakiryowa founded the Center for Rehabilitation of Survivors of Acid and Burns Violence.

Acid attacks: ‘I didn’t have the money to buy justice, but I had brains...

In the wake of acid attacks, victims — often women — can feel hopeless. Now, women around the world are fighting back.